Mueller Investigating Alleged Deal Between Michael Flynn, Turkey to Hand Over Cleric
Allegedly offered $15 million.
In March, I blogged about a report in The Wall Street Journal, in which former CIA Director James Moosley claimed he attended a meeting with former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn and Turkish Foreign Ministers to discuss removing Fehtullah Gulen, a Turkish cleric living in Pennsylvania. This meeting happened when Flynn worked on Trump’s presidential transition team.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has blamed Gulen for numerous “coups” that have taken place.
Now that alleged plan between Flynn and the Turks has come under investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
From The Wall Street Journal:
Under the alleged proposal, Mr. Flynn and his son, Michael Flynn Jr., were to be paid as much as $15 million for delivering Fethullah Gulen to the Turkish government, according to people with knowledge of discussions Mr. Flynn had with Turkish representatives. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has pressed the U.S. to extradite him, views the cleric as a political enemy.
Federal Bureau of Investigation agents have asked at least four individuals about a meeting in mid-December at the ‘21’ Club in New York City, where Mr. Flynn and representatives of the Turkish government discussed removing Mr. Gulen, according to people with knowledge of the FBI’s inquiries. The discussions allegedly involved the possibility of transporting Mr. Gulen on a private jet to the Turkish prison island of Imrali, according to one of the people who has spoken to the FBI.
Mueller is interested if Flynn “was pursuing potentially illegal means to forcibly deal with Mr. Gulen.” NBC News pointed out that “any deal in which a government official would be bribed to secretly act on behalf of a foreign government could potentially constitute multiple federal crimes.”
Flynn acknowledged in March that he worked as a foreign agent for the firm Inovo, owned by Turkish-American businessman Ekim Alptekin, who has links to the Turkish government. He did not register as a foreign agent until that month, though.
Mueller’s main objective in his investigation is collusion between Russia and President Donald Trump during the presidential campaign. However, he has the ability to investigate any crimes that pop up during the investigation. It has already led to the indictment of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his protege Rick Gates.
Last week, Mueller said that he has enough evidence to charge Flynn and his son.
Flynn resigned in February after it became known “that he misled Vice President Mike Pence and other Trump officials about his conversations with the Russian ambassador to the U.S.”
Flynn is already “facing military, congressional and criminal investigations into allegations that he improperly concealed his financial ties to Turkey and Russia, and into whether the ties played any role in his decisions as the president’s adviser.” The U.S. Attorney’s offices for the Eastern District of Virginia sent subpoenas to Flynn’s associates “ordering that information be handed over concerning his Turkey-related activities as part of a criminal investigation.”
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Comments
Another leak from the Office of Special Counsel?
Oh no. It couldn’t be. Isn’t that illegal or something ?
Perhaps, it was merely “fan mail from a flounder”.
When asked to serve the President, does anyone ever say, “You know, I’ve just got too much baggage for that, Mr. President”?
If you’re living life on the international edge, maybe you should stay in the shadows instead of volunteering for an investigatory enema.
… or “I’m sorry, Barack. I have the family foundation that is paying all my expenses, but I’m sure I can make both of them work together with the aid of a home email server.”
color me old fashioned, but i was under the impression that these sorts of “investigations” were supposed to have limits as to what they could, and could not, “look into”…
seems to me this Mueller a55hole seems to think he can just go anywhere he wants, and do anything he feels like.
how long before they’re digging into our lives? someone needs to pull the plug on this witch hunt.
The office is President, not King.
I’m fine with someone putting a sharp stick in the affairs of government and ensuring the rule of law.
Where the hell was this kind of scrutiny between 2008 and 2016. I see no moral equivalency between the two administrations. A special council could be launched for all activities on a random Tuesday during the Obama admin as there was plenty of “there” there to be investigated.
To the contrary- they are using the full force of government to cover up all the dealings during those years and that is what is pissing me off here.
Where the hell was this kind of scrutiny between 2008 and 2016.
We can solve this problem by having a permanent special counsel, from the other political party, to investigate each and every POTUS and their staffs.
Sounds fair to me.
It all sounds like something somebody should be investigating.
“Last week, Mueller said that he has enough evidence to charge Flynn and his son.”
No, he did not. This is very sloppy work.
M is trying to hang EVERYTHING ON DJT and nothing on ole homey, sorry meant comey.
I won’t be defending Flynn if he dealt illegally with the current Turkish regime.
Despicable. Now what does this have to do with the election?
Somehow I think it a bridge too far to think that someone who serve honorably for years would kidnap someone for a foreign govt.
I will wait for the made up evidence .
We are talking about a three star general I don’t believe he would have entered into any such contract. There is a vast difference between having discussions and actually doing something.
“Mr. Flynn and his son, Michael Flynn Jr., were to be paid as much as $15 million for delivering Fethullah Gulen to the Turkish government … .”
Perhaps I’m ignorant, but I’m reading that Turks offered to pay the Flynns generously for an illegal act which was never performed. Where’s the crime?
Think about a foiled murder-for-hire conspiracy.
Why?
One has nothing to with the other.
What they have in common is the law of conspiracy.
The same law applies across the spectrum of criminal conduct.
That’s “why”.
“Where’s the crime?”
Not on, as you surmise.
There needs to be a lot more than an offer.
I suspect the rank-and-file at DOJ has no more enthusiasm for investigating anything from 2008-2016 than Comey did.